Rising Jacksonville, Florida, rapper SpotemGottem was shot in his hip while driving on a highway in Miami early Friday morning, September 17th.
SpotemGottem — real name Nehemiah Lamar Harden — was driving a Dodge Charger on I-95 when the car was hit with gunfire, leaving 22 bullet holes on the driver’s side, according to a statement provided by Alejandro Camacho of the Florida Highway Patrol. Another man, sitting in the backseat of the car, sustained gunshot wounds to both legs. Both Harden and the other man were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.
The Florida Highway Patrol did not have any information about the potential gunmen or their vehicle.
A lawyer for Harden, Raven Liberty, did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment. Liberty did tell the Miami Herald after Harden emerged from surgery, “He is alive, most importantly… This was not a shoot-out. He was a victim of a drive-by shooting.”
As the Herald also reports, the shooting occurred two months after Harden was arrested in a hotel room by U.S. Federal Marshals for his alleged role in a June assault case involving a deadly weapon. Police said Harden and others confronted a garage attendant over an $80 fee, and that Harden allegedly pointed a gun with a laser at the employee from the backseat. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and accessory after the fact; he pleaded not guilty.
SpotemGottem broke out in 2020 with his single “Beat Box.” In 2021, he’s released two viral follow-ups, “Beat Box 2” with Pooh Shiesty, and, more recently, “Beat Box 3,” with DaBaby.